Kathryn Schofield Athlete Ambassador

Kathryn is a triathlete who has competed internationally. She talks to Sundried about life as a triathlete.

Have you always been into sport?

I’ve always been active and competitive growing up, which meant that sport was the perfect environment for me! I jumped at every opportunity to do sport and so I was always swimming when I could, and I even ran for my county at 10 years old.

How did you first get into triathlon?

I started hearing about triathlon after the 2012 Olympics, when the Brownlee brothers did well. As I was a competitive swimmer, an Aquathlon seemed like a fun experience for me to try, and after I did that, a triathlon didn’t seem like that much more of a stretch. I never expected that I would do more multi sport events afterwards. My first triathlon was just a small casual affair, but after I completed it, I just fell in love with the sport and my journey has just progressed from there.

What has been your favourite race to date and why?

Undoubtedly the 2018 Multisport European Championships in Ibiza. It was my first international race, and the first on the GB age group team. I’d never experienced anything similar to it; the atmosphere was so exciting and infectious, and the support from spectators and other GB athletes was fantastic. Hearing people refer to me as GB when they were cheering for me was one of the top moments of my life.

What is your proudest achievement?

Also the 2018 Multisport European Championships in Ibiza. I’d just turned 17 when I went to Ibiza, and as it was my first time racing in the Age Group team. Duathlons aren’t my strongest race as running is my weakest discipline, so my goals for the race were just to enjoy it, and to come in the top 10. I absolutely loved the race, and I came in 7th place and pre-qualified for the European championships the following year.

Have you ever had any racing disasters?

I’ve had little ones here and there, several mild injuries, pieces of my kit malfunctioning last minute, hypothermia etc. But I’m thankful and grateful for not having had a major racing disaster (yet).

How do you overcome setbacks?

I get myself back into the right headspace, think about my goals, and all the positive things that I’ve achieved so far. Then I review what went wrong, and see what I can control and learn from for the future, and what was just out of my influence. I still try to take something good out of my bad races/sessions to prevent myself from feeling too down about it.

What advice do you wish you’d been given when you first started out?

You’re always going to have training sessions and races where something goes wrong, or you don’t get the outcome that you wanted, and that’s perfectly okay.

What are your goals?

My immediate focus for my goals is just to work my hardest and get the best out of myself in my training every day. Especially on those days when my head just isn’t in it and I’d much prefer to stay at home. I’m also hoping to increase the distances of my races over the next few years.

Who inspires you?

Para-athletes are the most inspiring people to me. They work so hard and they’re the perfect symbol to everyone out there that no matter what, you CAN overcome your challenges and achieve amazing things.

Why work with sundried?

As a biological sciences student, sustainability is very important to me. Sundried’s ethics align with mine perfectly, and with the top tier quality, I consider myself privileged to be able to support and associate with them as a brand.